


The Bigger They Are

by miraculous_me



Series: Love and Dodgeball [4]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, F/M, LadyNoir - Freeform, One Shot, dodgeballAU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-31
Updated: 2016-08-31
Packaged: 2018-08-12 07:06:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7925308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miraculous_me/pseuds/miraculous_me
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In celebration of Miraculous Ladybug’s 1 year anniversary, I wrote the first chapter of my ML DodgeballAU! The Harder They Fall in Adrien’s POV as a One-Shot. Enjoy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Bigger They Are

**Author's Note:**

> Since this is the first chapter in Adrien's perspective, it can be read separate from The Harder They Fall.

Adrien Agreste heard the stories, the ones about the great Team Miraculous, the Parisian dodgeball league who took dodgeball to a whole new level and then disappeared without a trace. They were but a whisper among the community dodgeball teams across the city. When the invitation to tryout came, he thought it was a joke. No one had seen or heard from Team Miraculous in over twenty years. Whoever organized this couldn’t have been involved. But if they were collecting the best dodgeball players in the city, Adrien decided he would check out the competition.

The instructions were to meet at the Bourgeois Recreation Center at 5 am Tuesday morning, masked and ready to play. He received a small box with a black cat like mask, he was to go by Chat Noir, the black cat. Ironic, because he was considered one of the luckiest guys in Paris. He was a model, his father was one of the top designers in the world and he had everything he’d ever wanted.

Well almost…

The day of the tryouts Adrien tried to sneak out of the house. It was too early for him to call his driver, he didn’t want to explain to him the reason for going to the rec center hours before it was open to the public. The walk wasn’t that far either, he just needed to get out the front door without waking his father.

Adrien hurried down the stairs, trying his hardest not to make any noise. He glanced behind him once more, and turned back, running into someone’s chest. He looked up, his father stood before him, clearly unamused. 

“Father,” Adrien said to the man. “What are you doing up this early?”

“Working of course, what you doing up?” Gabriel glanced down at his gym bag.

“Well,” Adrien searched for an excuse. “I’m heading to the gym…to workout.” It was sort of the truth. He was going to a gym, and dodgeball was a workout.

“At this hour?” Gabriel frowned. “Where is your driver?”

“I didn’t want to bother him this early,” Adrien shrugged. “It’s not that fa–”

“That’s enough,” his father cut him off. “I’ll call Nathalie and she’ll arrange for your driver to pick you up. I am very disappointed in you. When I gave you more control over your schedule, I expected you to use it. But I can see now, you are still finding ways to rebel. Any extracurricular now must go through me first. Understand?”

“Understood,” Adrien nodded. It was four thirty in the morning, not only did he wake up his driver, but Nathalie as well. He was not going to live this down.

Fifteen minutes later, his driver pulled into the front to pick him up, clearly unhappy about the situation. Adrien made sure to bring a travel mug with coffee for him. He slid in the back of the limo and handed his driver the drink. “Sorry for waking you.” He took the coffee without a word, and started to drive. “Can you drop me off a block away from Bourgeois Rec Center?” Adrien watched as his driver raised an eyebrow in the rearview mirror. “Here,” he dug out fifty euros from his wallet and placed the cash next to him. “Drop me off and I’ll text you when I’m done. And please don’t tell my father about this.”

The driver nodded, picking up the cash and stuffing it into his pocket. He pulled up a block from the center. Adrien slipped out of the limo. As his driver sped off into the distance, Adrien put on his new mask.

With a deep breath, he continued down the street as Chat Noir. He walked a little taller, with more swag. He pushed back his life as Adrien Agreste and allowed himself to be a free, even if it was only for a few hours.

He reached the rec center and found a spot in the front of the bleacher. A few other people were there sitting silently as the others entered. He looked at the clock on the wall, it was almost five. A short elderly Chinese man in a red Hawaiian shirt entered the gym, he stopped in front of the group and looked around.

“I am Fu, coach of Team Miraculous. I’ve been scouting for years to compile the perfect team to compete on a professional level. By being here, that means you are the best players in all of Paris.” The man glanced around as if he was searching for someone. Adrien did a quick count, there were only eleven players, someone was missing. “One vital part of Team Miraculous is that it is imperative to keep your identity a secret. No one must know we are competing until regionals.”

A door slammed, Adrien looked up. A girl, probably around his age entered the gym. Her She wore a tight red t-shirt and black shorts fitted perfectly to her lean body. Her short dark hair was tied in two pigtails held together by red ribbons. The closer she got, Adrien realize she was wearing a red mask, with black spots, like a ladybug.

The girl sat next to him, he couldn’t help but smile. Feeling bold, he winked at her, a slight smile formed on her pink lips before she turned her attention back to Fu.

“Very nice for you to join us Ladybug,” Fu said. “As I was saying, it is very important to keep your presence here a secret. There are twelve of you now, but only six will make the cut. Now that our final guest has arrived, I’m going to divide you into teams.”

The girl raised her hand. “Will the winning team be in the league?”

“No,” Fu shook his head. “You’ll be switching teams after each game. I will be judging everyone on certain criteria. Win or lose, the teams you’re put on now won’t matter.”

“Thank you.”

Good. He wouldn’t have to worry about others dragging him down. It was his performance that mattered, as long as he was one of the last few standing each game, he’d be good. Adrien glanced over at the girl next to him, she seemed a bit nervous.

He leaned in closer. “I don’t know about you but I’m feline good about this tryout.”

“A cat pun?” she rolled her eyes. “What are you twelve?”

“Me-ouch,” he placed his and over his heart, and smiled. He’d never seen a pair of eyes so blue. Before he could get in another word, Fu divided the group into teams of six.

His team reached the end of the court for the beginning of the game. The red rubber balls were placed at the center line. Fu blew his whistle to signal the start of the game. Adrien ran as fast as he could to grab a ball. He backed away quickly once he secured one. He eyed his target, a boy in a monkey mask, and grinned.

He took a step back, pulling his right arm behind him. _Cataclysm_. He said in his head before launching the ball forward. As planned the ball hit the boy in the stomach, hard. Adrien smirked. His Cataclysm was uncatchable. He spent years perfecting it, the move alone would secure a spot on the team. 

Ladybug was staring, of course she would be. He was one of the best players in Paris, if not the best. A ball rolled next to his feet, he scooped it up, winking at Ladybug in the process. Her eyes lit with a fury Adrien felt across the room.

He smirked and focused his attention to a boy in a peacock mask. He threw the ball in his direction, the peacock boy dodged the attack. Adrien picked up another one, he needed to focus. He stepped back ready to throw when he felt something hit his hip lightly and he heard the familiar sound of a rubber ball bouncing behind him.

He was hit?

This early in the game? And with such a weak throw for that matter. Adrien scanned the court for the culprit. Ladybug gave him a smiled and waved before dodging another ball.

Game on.

Adrien went to the bench and waited for another player to bring him back in. While he kept an eye on his team, he was drawn to Ladybug on the other side. Watching her dodge was mesmerizing. What she lacked in strength she made up for in creativity. She had a strategy, a plan for every attack. She was a true dodgeball player.

“Chat Noir you’re in,” Fu waved him back in.

Adrien snapped out of his daze and went back to the court. Ready to face Ladybug again.

At the end of the third and final game, it was just him and Ladybug left on the court. Unfortunately, the two stayed on opposite teams every game. But the unspoken competition between the two kept it interesting.

“So M’lady, it’s just me and you,” Adrien said as he bounced his ball with his foot. “I have to say we make the purr-fect pair.”

“I have to disagree,” Ladybug rolled her eyes.

Adrien caught his ball, and waited Ladybug to attack. She was smart, he noticed she always waited until after he throws to take her shot. A time when he is most vulnerable. But this time, he was going to wait for her to make the first move. He didn’t take the shot, not yet, she was still deep in thought. It was only a few seconds, but this wouldn’t fly in a normal game. Any other player would have taken her out on the spot, but he didn’t want the game to end. Not just yet.

Ladybug, drew her arm back to aim. Adrien smirked, now was his chance. She threw the ball so weakly it was laughable. He knocked it away with the ball in his hands.

Now it was his turn

He stepped back, aiming the ball for her chest. _Cataclysm_ he said once again as he threw the ball as hard as he could at Ladybug.

The ball slammed against her chest. The girl wrapped her arms around the red rubber ball, desperately trying to keep it in her grasp. Once secure, she pulled it tight against her.

Adrien’s jaw went slack.

She caught his uncatchable throw.

Ladybug’s team rushed towards her to cheer on their victory, but Adrien couldn’t help but stare at the girl, wondering who she was under the mask. Whoever she was, he was in danger of falling…hard.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading. If you haven't already, please check out The Harder They Fall to see what happens next!


End file.
